Time's Prisoners
by Donny's Boy
Summary: Catapulted into a future with robots and a rambunctious redhead, Donatello feels that something is ... wrong. As usual, Don's correct, but Cody Jones isn't the only one one hiding secrets. Set in the Fast Forward universe, and set before The Journal.
1. Chapter 1

"Time's Prisoners"

By Donny's Boy

Disclaimer: I own neither the characters nor the plot relating to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and I am making no money from this story. I mean no harm.

Warnings: None, actually.

**Chapter 1**

Something was wrong.

One couldn't tell just by watching the current domestic scene, though. While Cody Jones happily nattered on about a newly-invented video game controller to an enthralled Michelangelo, Raphael followed Serling around and tried to convince the robot to fix a sandwich for him. While Raphael bothered the beleaguered butler, Leonardo practiced a few new aerial moves with Master Splinter. And while Leonardo and Splinter sparred, Donatello stared worriedly out the living room's large pane window, thinking about just how _wrong_ everything was.

He'd been unable to think of much of anything else since the day Cody had so casually mentioned that Donatello himself had been a cofounder of O'Neil Tech. That made sense enough. Don and April had been friends, and their friendship had been born from a mutual love of computers. But what didn't make sense was the timeline. For O'Neil Tech to exist in the current time period—the "future," as the turtles still often called it—Donatello couldn't have been ripped from the past before founding the company. Yet, that's exactly what had occurred.

The possibilities were several. Perhaps Cody was simply lying about Don being a cofounder. His lionization of the turtles could potentially have led him to exaggerate a few details, to "butter up" his new reptilian friends. But the intelligent, wide-eyed boy seemed too guileless for even the whitest of lies. Perhaps the history of O'Neil Tech became confused throughout time, and the cofounder status had been mistakenly attributed to Don. Maybe. A more probable scenario was that he was destined, in this time period, to find his way back to his original time.

But what changes would then result? Certainly knowledge of this future would shape his actions in the past, inevitably altering the timeline and, somewhat paradoxically, creating an alternate future. All of it made Don's head throb with a dull ache.

A loud whoop came from behind, and Don turned to see Mikey kissing the new controller. Beside him, Cody grinned proudly. Don frowned. He wondered briefly if Cody had figured out the conundrum then decided the boy _must_ have. If Cody was smart enough to rip them out of time, which he demonstrably was, then certainly he must be smart enough to realize all the implications of such an action. Right?

Setting his jaw in determination, Don headed towards his younger brother and the redhead. When he reached them, Mike shot him a puzzled look. "Everything okay, bro?"

"Yes," Don replied, "I'd just like to talk with Cody for a minute." When Mike didn't budge, he added, somewhat apologetically, "Alone, please."

Mikey feigned hurt. "Sure, sure. No problem. I see that good old Michelangelo isn't wanted here." Sniffling dramatically for effect, he picked up his new game controller and bounded off in Raph's direction. As Don watched the other turtle reluctantly leave, he fought back a smile at Mike's antics.

Meanwhile Cody was cocking his head, a puzzled smile on his painfully young face. "What's up, Donatello?"

Don studied the younger boy's face. Cody's deep blue eyes looked oddly bright and shiny. "I'd like to discuss a temporal conundrum with you," Don began.

"Oh? What conundrum?"

The boy's eyelids fluttered for just a brief moment, and once again Don had the unmistakable feeling that something was wrong.

"Here's the conundrum," Don stated, carefully watching the boy's face for any reaction. "I'm here. But I never helped April and Casey found this company before I left."

Looking away, Cody scratched his chin thoughtfully. His brow furrowed as he pondered the implications of what Don had just said, and Don's eyes narrowed. It didn't seem possible, but right now it really looked like Cody was the somewhat dopey Marty McFly to Don's more knowledge Doc Brown. Which, if true, was the exact reverse of the way things should be.

Something was _wrong_.

The silence finally got to him, so Don suggested, "Maybe it means we'll find a way to go back to our own time? Or at least to a time before O'Neil Tech's founding?"

"Well," drawled Cody, still rubbing his chin, "I guess that's a possibility. Though with the time portal busted, I don't see how."

For some reason, Don felt a spike of annoyance at Cody's dismissive casualness. This was his _life_ that Cody was talking about. A life that had had much-beloved friends: the Professor, Leatherhead, Angel. And Cody's own ancestors, April O'Neil and Casey Jones. A small twinge of grief gripped Don's chest as he remembered April, especially. His first human friend. It was both unreal and heartbreaking to think that she'd been dead for decades.

Don shook himself a little, and his focus snapped back into place. Crossing his arms over his plastron, he locked eyes with Cody and said, "So, what theory do _you_ have on all this?"

It ended up coming out a little more hostile than Don had intended, but Cody just smiled. "This is just off the cuff," the boy began, seemingly modest, "but I think it's possible that when the time portal went haywire, it created overlapping alternative timelines. In the other timeline, you go on to found O'Neil Tech with my great-grandparents, and in this one, you come to the future."

Hmm. Possible, but not likely. The astonishing series of coincident circumstances needed for the creation of divergent timelines … Abruptly Don's thoughts slammed to a halt when he looked up to see that Cody was still smiling. Everything suddenly made sense. That was what had been wrong. Cody's smile. It was oddly … predatory. Don felt a shiver go down his spine.

"Thanks, Cody," he said, swallowing his sudden fear and forcing himself to smile in return. "Definitely gives me something to think about."

"Sure thing, Don." And with that Cody wandered away, presumably to find Michelangelo again.

Oh, yes, things definitely made sense now. Cody's obsession with all things turtle … the time accident that conveniently landed those aforementioned turtles right in Cody's lap … the even more convenient irreversibility of the time travel … Accident? No. No way was all of this an "accident." No way was any of this an accident.

Mind racing, blood pumping, Donatello slowly walked back over to the window and rested his forehead against its pane. The glass—or whatever chemically-created substitute they used in this century—felt nice and cool against his forehead. It helped calm him down a little. Just a little.

He looked down at the street, filled with hover-cars and, even farther below, people that looked the size of ants. Cody's New York City was a dazzling world, truly. Everything Don had ever dreamed of: technologically advanced, diverse, a place where four mutated turtles could freely roam the topside world without so much as a second glance. And the O'Neil building itself was beautiful beyond words. High vaulted ceiling, plenty of natural sunlight, bright white stucco walls. But at the moment, Don's chest ached with the raw desire to be back home in his cobbled-together, cluttered lab down in the stinking sewers.

Because even a gilded birdcage is still, at its core essence, a prison.

---

Author's Notes: Thought I'd write a "Fast Forward" piece since there's so few of them. Also, because the obvious plot-hole problem with Don as a cofounder of O'Neil Tech has been bugging the heck out of me.

And I must say, I _despise_ the character Cody Jones. So much hate. (That episode where he steps in to almost single-handedly save the day when the turtles are getting their butts whooped? No. Just … no.) He is to cartoons what Mary Sue is to fan fiction.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

She stood in the shadows, waiting for him. She _should_ have been good at being patient—after all, she had all the time in the world—but she wasn't. Her left foot tapped quietly but persistently against the cold tile floor. The problem was that waiting was incredibly boring. Too bad she'd timed this poorly and arrived so early. But finally three o'clock came, and a second figure crept into the room where she waited.

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she watched the shadow move quickly and silently across the large room. It approached a large contraption in the corner and, after a moment of rustling, a small flashlight clicked on. In the narrow beam of light all she could see was a single three-fingered, olive-green hand.

"You really shouldn't play with other people's time portals," she pointed out in a somewhat amused voice.

There was a loud gasp followed by the clattering of the flashlight against the floor. It rolled over to stop next to her feet, and Renet knelt down to pick it up. As she stood back up, she turned the beam on herself, so that Donatello could see her. Then the time mistress turned the flashlight's beam onto Don.

He blinked rapidly for a few moments against the sudden influx of light. Then his eyes went wide behind his mask. "You!"

Renet's smile dropped into a frown. That wasn't exactly the greeting she'd been hoping for. "Hi, Don."

Don's brows knit together thoughtfully as he quietly padded over to where she stood. Then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Did you do this?" he whispered in an urgent tone. "Are you the reason we came to this time? Renet, I swear … "

"It wasn't me!" Renet held up her hands and glared a little for good measure. "It was totally Cody Jones."

"I see." Don folded his arms across his plastron, and Renet noticed his muscles bulge as he did so. Suddenly she remembered what it felt like to be in those strong arms, as he had carried her away from a dinosaur stampede, and she found her smile again.

She handed Don back his flashlight, as a sort of peace offering. "But I'm here to fix things. Everything's gonna be just fine."

"Why did you wait so long? We've been here for _months_, Renet."

Averting her eyes, the girl looked up out the window, where the moon hung large and full in the dark sky. The truth was, she had thought he of all the turtles would be enjoying this. Had thought he wouldn't want to leave. All the new technology, different alien species, and of course the freedom of being able to live above-ground and integrate into society. Why wouldn't Don want to stay for a little while longer?

But she hadn't counted on … _her_.

As if reading her mind, Donatello continued, "I miss home. I miss my lab and my friends. Leatherhead, the Professor, April—"

"_April_ is in love with that hockey mask guy." The words were out of Renet's mouth before she had time to think twice.

Even in the dark, she could see him wince. "I know that," he said. "His name is Casey, and he's my friend too."

She shook her head, feeling a sudden and unreasonable anger. "So why are you so hung up on her?"

"Why am I—what?" Don bristled slightly. "You're crazy. I'm not hung up on April."

Renet snorted. As if. Donatello might very well be the genius everyone said he was, but he was still a teenage boy. And teenage boys were de facto stupid. Despite herself, she felt tears begin in the corners of her eyes. Just as she was wondering why she was bothering with all this explaining and justification, she noticed that Don's expression had changed. His annoyance was gone and had been replaced with concern.

"Renet?" He stepped forward, frowning, soft brown eyes holding that sympathetic expression he seemed to always wear. "You look upset. What's wrong?"

Stupid, but sometimes very sweet. Her hand reached out, and Don's expression changed to one of mild alarm. She ran her knuckles lightly along his cheek before quickly turning to look out the window at the sky once again. "April's an idiot," she muttered, so low that she knew even a ninja wouldn't be able to make out her words.

"Renet?"

She sighed. She was just as stupid as he was. "Never mind. Go get your brothers, and I'll get you back to where you belong."

With a large grin, Donatello fairly sprinted across the room. Then, when he reached the door, he came to a dead stop. He turned around and, inexplicably, came trotting back over to the time mistress. Just as she opened her mouth to ask if there was a problem, Don leaned in and softly kissed her cheek. Renet's mouth snapped shut. She could only stare as Don pulled back, still grinning.

"Thanks," he said. "For everything."

Then Don rapidly made his way back across the room and disappeared through the doorway, presumably to round up his family for the trip home. Meanwhile, Renet stood frozen in place, cloaked in shadows and utterly speechless. As she lifted her hand to gingerly touch the spot on her face where his lips had just been, she reflected that she'd never been kissed by a reptile before.

---

Author's Notes: Thanks for all the reviews!

Apparently I'm really bad at keeping one-shots as one-shots. I blame—i.e., I thank—Pacphys for this, because Pacphys brought up something I hadn't thought about before. Where _is_ Renet or Lord Simultaneous during all this? This chapter's my explanation. For those interested, next chapter will offer some insight into Cody's motivations and frame of mind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Chapter 3**

Gone?

They were … gone?

His lips pinched in a frown, Cody Jones stared out his bedroom window. It was a sunny day outside—unsurprising, given how all of Earth's weather was computer-controlled—but as far as Cody was concerned, it could have been thundering and lightening. They were _gone_, and that meant the sun was a little dimmer, the temperature a little cooler, the sky a little less blue.

"I am so sorry, Master Cody."

Cody glanced up and noticed for the first time that Serling was still in the room. Before he could think better of it, he snapped, "Sure. Sure you're sorry. Be honest, Serling, you know you never liked having the turtles around."

If a robot ever looked sad, that robot was Serling, right then. "They were destructive," he admitted, in his rich slightly-accented tones. "And they were loud. And rambunctious." He reached out and rested a cold, metallic hand on Cody's shoulder. "And I will miss them dearly."

"Me too," sighed Cody.

As Serling quietly made his exit, Cody looked down at the piece of paper in his hands. Paper! How appropriately old-fashioned. In dark ink, and a large loopy script that could only belong to Michelangelo, were the turtles' words of good-bye. They thanked him for being their host and their friend. They included a quick apology for the suddenness of their departure. Something about a time mistress, whatever _that_ was. They said they'd always remember him, and that was it. The end of the letter.

At the very bottom was a signature from each turtle and, of course, Splinter. The old rat sensei had gone first, quite appropriately. He'd signed his name in both English and Japanese characters. Mikey had gone next and, just like John Hancock, had written his name much larger than anyone else's. Then came Leonardo's signature, each letter of his name a perfectly proportioned size. Under Leo's name was Raphael's—or, rather, a hastily scrawled "Raph."

It was the name at the very bottom, though, that drew Cody's attention. Written in tiny, meticulous letters, slanting strongly to the left, was Donatello's name. Almost involuntarily, Cody's eyes narrowed as he read this last name. A post-script followed, in the same tiny handwriting:

_Two pieces of advice, Cody, both meant for your well-being. First, don't try to bring us back. If you do, you will regret it—I will make very sure of that. Second, keep an eye on your uncle Darius. He does not have your best interests at heart._

Though he could never prove it, Cody knew it was because of Donatello that the turtles had left. Somehow, some way, Don must have figured out that the portal was actually still perfectly functional.

With a slight scowl, Cody refolded the good-bye letter and put it back in its envelope. He then set the envelope aside and reached towards his nightstand. He opened the drawer, took out a box, and rested the box on his lap. It was a portable cryogenics container. Though most of Cody's beloved antiques were displaced in the main rooms, he'd kept his most special treasure very well protected—from people and the elements alike.

He quickly punched in the password to unlock the container. With a soft _whoosh_ the box lid opened, to reveal a small hard-bound book. Very gently Cody lifted the book out of the box and flipped it open. The pages were yellowed and shrunken and dry, even though Cody had taken meticulous care, but the writing inside was still legible, with each entry within clearly labeled and dated.

A diary.

Putting on a pair of gloves, so as to avoid contaminating the pages with his skin's oils, Cody flipped through the diary's pages until he came to the entry he wanted. He knew it word for word by heart, but he still felt the need to read it from time to time.

In small, neat cursive was written, _Casey finally asked me to marry him today. And, idiot that I am, I didn't give him an answer. I told him I'd have to think about it._

Cody swallowed. All of a sudden his mouth felt as dry as bones.

_This is crazy. I love Casey. Casey loves me. So what's the problem? The path not taken, that's what. I can't stop thinking about what might have been._

As soon as he'd accidentally brought the turtles to his time, Cody knew that he could never let them go back. They'd been contaminated—taken out of the proper timeline—and that meant that inevitably something, however small, would be different if he sent them back in time. He'd hated lying to them, but there'd been no other choice.

_I remember the first time we worked together,_ the entry continued._ Back in Stockman's old lab. Typing so quickly our fingers hurt, racing through all these command prompts, desperately trying to shut down the mousers. What an adrenaline rush. And then, with the mousers about to self-destruct, he lifted me into his arms so we could make our escape, and I felt another rush of emotion. But this time, it wasn't just adrenaline._

No choice. The turtles simply had to stay. Because the possibility of changes to the timeline wasn't just an abstraction. Oh, no. Cody knew all too well just how much a slight change could matter.

_And sometimes I would wonder. Sometimes, when he didn't think I was paying attention, he would drop his guard, just a little. And he would look at me in such a way … but in a flash, the look was gone, and all I could see on his face was his usual friendly expression. Anything I might have thought was there? Gone. Then I met Casey. After that, he stopped looking at me. Or maybe he just got better at keeping up his guard. _

Cody pondered over when a change in the timeline, if any, would become apparent. Would it have been instantaneous? The second the turtles got back home? Or were his timeline and theirs now running in parallel, with any changes occurring roughly at the same point following the turtles' return?

So many possibilities, so few answers. And Cody had always hated not having the answer.

_Sometimes I wonder. What if I had let my guard down? What if I had told him that I knew he was looking? And what if I'd told him that I always liked it when he looked at me that way?  
_  
Growling softly, Cody shut the diary. He carefully set it back into its box then returned the box to its drawer.

The sun was bright outside, but dark uncertainty hung over Cody. Based on what the turtles had told him, in their time Casey and April were dating but hadn't yet married, and certainly they hadn't yet had children. There was still plenty of time—time for April to change her mind, time for Casey to catch wise, and time for good old Donatello to ruin everything.

Which meant that Cody's time just might be running out.

---

Author's Notes: So why would Cody be evil, I asked myself? I like well-rounded villains and explained evil. Though when I figured out a good answer for Cody, he ended up being less of a villain than a victim of circumstance. Oh, well.

Next chapter's the last. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Some thing wasn't wrong.

_Lots_ of things were wrong.

With solemn silence the group of humans, mutants, and wayward time mistress surveyed the damage. All of the outer walls had been structurally compromised. In a corner lay bits of wire and tiny shards of broken glass, tinkling faintly when walked over, that was all that was remained of the entertainment center. Most of the ceiling had collapsed in on itself and, though much of the rubble had been cleared away, the lair still looked like an explosion had ripped through it.

Finally Master Splinter broke the silence, shaking his head and murmuring, "It is no wonder that Mr. Jones and Ms. O'Neil thought us dead."

Donatello stepped over small piles of mortar and stone and approached what had once been his lab. Kneeling, he picked up a test tube that had miraculously survived the cave-in. He ran his thumb over its smooth glass. He felt hollow, numb. Then a shadow fell over him, and he looked up to see April standing over him, eyes bright with unshed tears.

As soon as Don stood back up, her arms were around his neck. She buried her face against shoulder and whispered, "I'm so glad you guys came back."

Don swallowed hard. "Me too."

"Hey!"

April quickly released Don, and they both whirled around. Casey stood a few paces away, gesturing wildly, while Raphael tried to pull something out of the rubble. Don came trotting over, with April close behind. Once present, Casey proudly pointed down at Raph. "Check it out," he said happily. "Raph's bench press made it through!"

Don and April exchanged a look. But before either could say a word, Michelangelo bounded over and clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. "I can't believe that made it," said Mikey with a rueful shake of his head. "Actually, I can't believe _we_ made it either. Donny, April—you're the numbers geeks. I mean, what're the odds of Cody snatching us up right before our lair got trashed?"

"I don't know exactly," Don replied, frowning. "Slim, though."

April cocked her head. "Cody? Who's Cody?"

"Oh, wow!" Mikey grinned, and his eyes went wide. "You will never believe—"

From out of nowhere, Leo's hand reached out and gently grabbed Mike's beak. Leo raised an eye-ridge. "Mikey?"

"Mmph?"

"What did Renet tell you, Mikey?"

"Mmph!"

Leo let go, and Mikey immediately assumed a crestfallen expression.

Giggling, Renet walked over to join the rest of the group. "I could be wrong … but I'm _pretty_ sure I said that talking about the future would, like, mess up the timeline and stuff."

Don grinned. "Nope. You're not wrong."

"For a change," added Raph under his breath.

Falling into a meditative quiet, the small gathering regarded the relatively unscathed bench press. It was all that was left of the turtles' home. Ironic, too. The single piece of exercise equipment was one of the least practical things the turtles owned and probably one of the heaviest to move. Fate might have been kind, in sparing the turtles and their master from dying in the cave-in, but apparently fate was not without a sense a humor.

Leonardo was the one to speak first. "So, Sensei. What do we do now?"

"We do what we have always done, my son," replied Splinter. His voice rang throughout the high walls with unmistakable resolve. "We regroup, and we rebuild."

"And the rebuildin' starts right here, right now," Casey chimed in. He motioned April over towards the bench press. "Hey, babe, wanna help me and Raphy-boy haul this hunk o' junk outta here?"

April rolled her eyes but knelt down to plant an indulgent kiss on Casey. While Raph and Mikey hooted and catcalled, Donatello looked away uneasily. He caught Renet giving him a meaningful stare, one eyebrow cocked in silent accusation. As she mouthed the words "hung up," Don scowled at her.

In return Renet flashed him a broad smile. "Well," she said cheerily, "I think my work here is done."

Leo glanced over. "Leaving so soon?"

"Afraid so." She draped an arm around Leo's shoulder and gave an affection squeeze. "The busy life of a time mistress, y'know. Places to go. People to see. Time to, uh … master."

Master Splinter approached the young woman and bowed. "I wish to thank you," he said, with his usual gravity and sense of ceremony, "on behalf of myself and my sons. Without your assistance, I do not know when—or even if—we would have been able to return to our own time."

Renet shrugged. "No biggie."

As Donatello watched the time mistress do the rounds, giving each lair denizen a hug good-bye, he got the uncomfortable feeling that something was still wrong. Don frowned to himself as she grabbed the time scepter and headed for the sewer tunnels. Quickly making a decision, he followed her outside the ruined lair.

"I think it's interesting," he called out, his voice echoing hollowly in the wide tunnel, "that we got taken to the future just in time to avoid a highly improbable geological disaster."

"Donny!" Startled, Renet whirled around. She held up a hand to her chest. "You guys have _got_ to stop pulling that sneaky ninja stuff on me."

Don's frown deepened. "I want answers, Renet, and I know you have them."

Renet looked away. An oddly sad expression crossed her face, which was otherwise bathed in shadows. "I'm sorry," she said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "There's nothing I can tell you."

"I'm a scientist. I don't believe in coincidences."

"Well, I'm a time mistress. And you'd be surprised by how much coincidence I see every day." She approached him slowly, using the time scepter as a walking stick. As she neared, Donatello noticed that the shadows made her look older for some strange reason. "The littlest things can matter, Don. A chance meeting … a single glance … a path not taken."

Don sighed. There was so much she was leaving unsaid, but he didn't have the slightest clue what it was or how it might fit in. Finally he asked, in a tone of defeat, "Will I ever understand what was really behind our trip to the future?"

Renet smiled as the time scepter began to glow. "Time will tell."

As the sewers of New York City faded into the brilliant light of the time scepter, Renet felt a pang of regret. She wanted to tell Don. She wanted so badly to just explain to him how she felt. But she couldn't, and not just because of that stupid redhead he pined for. No. She was a time mistress, and he was a mortal. He was trapped within a single timeline, and she wasn't. It would never, ever work. Lord Simultaneous would be enraged if he found out she'd even considered it.

Renet ran her fingers over the smooth edges of the scepter. This was her choice, to be a time mistress. And she was _glad_ she chose this. She really was. Yet, at the same time, she was all too aware of the great costs. How could she not be? Everyone, mortal and time master alike, was a prisoner of time.

---

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay on the final chapter! I had the finale all written then, after reading through, realized I didn't really like it. So I tossed it and rewrote the entire chapter—thus the delay. As an apology, I'm going to post the original ending which I decided to scrap.

Hope the wait ends up being worth it. Thanks for reading, everyone! And a special thanks to those who encouraged me to expand this story beyond a one-shot!


	5. Alternative Ending

**Alternative Ending**

It took April O'Neil approximately fifteen seconds to figure out that the young so-called time mistress was hiding something.

And it only took about another fifteen to figure out just _what_ she was hiding.

Although she would have liked to think she was just unusually perceptive, April suspected that the real reason had more to do with Renet's utter lack of subtlety. As the entire family—the turtles, Splinter, and Casey—sat in April's living room, eating pizza and laughing and catching up, Renet stood a little to the side. Every time Donatello said something, she'd smile. Every time she thought no one was looking, she'd stare at Don as though she was dying of thirst and he was a tall cool drink of water.

Keeping an eye on everything from the kitchen, April decided to test her hypothesis. She was a scientist, after all. Grabbing another pizza from the oven, April carried it into the living room and set it down on the coffee table.

Michelangelo snatched up the first slice. "April, you are a goddess," he said appreciatively.

Immediately the other guys dug in with murmurs of agreement. April beamed happily. They'd only been gone a month, but she had missed them so much during that time. Not to mention all the worrying over what could have possibly happened to them.

After letting them eat for a few moments, April walked over to where Don sat and, while watching Renet out of the corner of her eye, wrapped her arms around the turtle. "I missed you, Donny," April said.

Don grinned up at her. "I missed you too. We, uh, we all did."

And sure enough, as April glanced over, she saw Renet frown darkly in her direction. Hypothesis proved. April let go of Don. No use torturing the poor girl. Thinking quickly she took a paper plate and a slice of pizza. Then she headed over to Renet, pausing as she walked by Casey's chair to give her boyfriend a peck on the cheek.

When she reached Renet's corner, April held out the pizza. "Here. You should eat something."

Renet's eyes narrowed. "I'm not hungry."

April just nodded in response. If the girl wanted to be difficult, so be it. Together the two women watched the boys eat and chat. April watched Raphael and Casey, who were already happily trading jabs at one another, as though they'd never been apart. She smiled. Though he hadn't talked about it much, she knew Casey had been just as worried as she had been. April glanced over at Renet. Who was, once again, looking at Don.

"You should tell him how you feel," April said softly.

"What?" Renet's head whipped around. With a mock-innocent expression, she asked, "Who?"

April raised an eyebrow. Just how dumb _was_ this girl? There was no way Donatello would ever get involved with her, but even so, April couldn't help feeling for her a little. "Even if he doesn't feel the same way, you'll be glad you said something," April continued. "You don't want to look back on your past and wonder 'what if.'"

Renet laughed. "What makes me think you're speaking from experience here?" she teased good-naturedly, cutting her eyes in Donatello's direction to drive home the point.

Perhaps Renet wasn't as dumb as April had thought. Interesting. April placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and gave a friendly squeeze. "Just consider it. Okay?"

---

Eyes glittering with excitement, Mikey leaned forward. "And you'll never believe this, but Cody is the—"

"Michelangelo!" Leo shot his brother a disapproving look. "What did Renet tell you about the timeline?"

"Um." Mike scratched his head. "Not to say stuff that'll screw it up?"

Don nodded. "And talking about the future will … "

"Screw up the timeline?" Mikey suggested helpfully.

Raph smacked his youngest brother on the back of the head. "Exactly, you idiot. So keep yer yap shut."

Don sighed and shook his head. He understood Mikey's temptation. Heck, he wanted to talk about the future as much as anyone of them. Not just to prattle on about all the cool technology but, more importantly, to warn April and Casey about certain of their descendants. But they had to protect the timeline. Even the famously impulsive Renet could keep a lid on things because she knew how vital the timeline was. Speaking of Renet …

He glanced over towards the corner and wondered what on earth April and Renet could be talking about. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. He hoped that Renet at least had enough sense to keep quiet about her theories on how he was "hung up" on April. But that might be too optimistic to hope for. Don shook his head again. It was out of his hands—no use worrying about it.

Returning his attention to his brothers, Don noticed that Raph had begun wrestling with Mikey over the last slice of pizza. This left open the chair next to Casey, who was laughing and enthusiastically egging on the two wrestlers. _Opportunity knocks_, thought Don, as he quietly made his way over and slid into Raph's abdicated seat. He glanced at Casey out of the corner of his eye. He knew he should bite his tongue. Knew he shouldn't interfere. Knew he was coming dangerously close to interfering with the timeline. But then, Casey glanced over at April and stopped laughing. His blue eyes softened, almost imperceptibly, and Don heard a soft, happy sigh.

Before Don could think better of it, he blurted out, "Ask her to marry you."

Casey jumped a little. "Don!" he exclaimed, chuckling nervously and shaking his head. "Youse guys have gotta stop going all ninja and sneakin' up on me like that."

Don smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that, Casey."

"S'okay." Casey glanced at April then turned back to look at Don. "You really think I should pop the question?"

"Yeah. I really do." Don was surprised at how much he meant it.

A thoughtful look came over Casey's face as he scratched at his chin. "Not a bad idea. Time will tell, huh?" Then he frowned. "First I need some dough for a ring, though. No way would I cheap out on my April."

"I think I might have your solution for that," Don replied without missing a beat. "Have you ever thought of starting up a tech company?"

Casey laughed. "Me? And technology? You gotta be kiddin'."

"Nope. Me and April could take care of the tech side of things, while you could handle the business side." For good measure, Don threw in, "We'd need someone tough to take care of all the things like marketing and subcontracting and deal-making."

Leaning back in his chair, looking thoughtful again, Casey asked, "And what'd we call it? Casey's Computers? Donny's Digital?"

"Well, I was thinking of something more like … O'Neil Tech."

For a moment Casey pondered over this in silence. Then he grinned and slapped Don on the back. "I like it!"

---

Cody Jones awoke with a start. Peering through the dark, he saw a tall, oddly-dressed girl at the foot of his bed. For a moment all he could do was stare, mouth agape.

The intruder gave a little wave. "Hi!"

"Who the heck are you?" Cody demanded. He looked around nervously. "And how did you get past security?"

"Oh! Sorry," said the girl said, gently slapping her forehead. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Renet. I'm a time mistress."

Cody frowned. Then, in a soft whisper, he said, "You're the one who took the turtles away."

Renet sighed. "No. I took them _home_." Slowly she approached the bed and sat on its edge. "They couldn't stay here, Cody. This isn't their time. They didn't belong."

He wondered how she knew his name but decided that was perhaps the least strange thing about this very strange visit. Instead, Cody glared at her for a moment before turning to stare out the window. "Now he's going to ruin everything," he muttered.

"Don?"

Cody's head snapped around. "How did you—"

"—know that you're worried about Don?" The girl laughed and rolled her eyes. "Um, hello? I'm a _time_ mistress?"

Utterly nonplussed, Cody just stared.

She hopped off the bed. "Anyways," she continued, heading towards the bedroom door, "I just dropped by to let you know that you don't have to worry. As time mistress, it's my job to keep timelines running nice and smooth."

"Oh, really?" Cody couldn't hide the skeptical tone in his voice.

"Yes. Really." Just before disappearing, Renet turned back and favored the boy with a small, mysterious smile. "Besides, I've made it something of a … personal mission … to make sure that April and Don never get together."

And then she winked.

----

Author's Notes: This is the alternate ending to "Time's Prisoners." Chapter 4 has the new ending that I thought better suited this story. After I wrote this, I felt that it just wrapped up all the loose ends too neatly. Thanks for reading!


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